FIXES

Wooden sign on suburban shopping street reminds children not to play on the staircase. It’s dangerous.

Materials: Wooden Board, Marker
Location: Kunitachi, Tokyo

Very direct way of letting local pet owners know how the doings of their dogs are viewed by residents of a small apartment complex.

Cute dog sign adds the finishing touch.

Materials: Board, Marker
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Hand made sign notifying public toilet users of a shift in the toilet paper dispenser.
I love how the draft in pencil bears no relation to the final copy written in marker.

Materials: Marker, Paper
Location: Nagoya

Maintenance times; No smoking!; Be careful if you’re wearing sandals!; Hold the handrail!; and of course – No Walking! No Running! – just stand still…..don’t move…..

Materials: Laminated Paper
Location: Nagoya

Hand made map showing shops and attractions in the center of Nagoya’s shopping district, Sakae.

Various fonts, paper, and hand written annotations, along with fading, wear and tear evoke the temporality of commerce.

I wonder what rules and regulations hold for the those allowed to add to the sign. What are the penalties for unauthorised editing?

Materials: Paper, Marker, Laminator
Location: Nagoya, Sakae

Easel legs thread through bricks for stabilization of a entrance menu.

Materials: Bricks
Location: Nagoya

Painted wood scraps form signage for a coffee house in central Nagoya.

Materials: Paint, Wood Scraps
Location: Nagoya

Watch out for burglars! This frugal signage warns residents of ambient dangers.

Materials: Laminated Paper, Duct Tape
Location: Nagoya

Signage for a local kindgarten play-day makes use of a bush in a local park.

Materials: Laminated Paper, Plastic Twine, Tree
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Railing at the entrance to a below ground level restaurant transformed into an oversize menu/promotion board with extensive use of tape and laminated paper.

Materials: Laminated Paper, Railing, Tape
Location: Shibuya, Tokyo

Traffic signage put to a different traffic related use with the help of marker and paper.

Materials: Paper, Marker
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Narrow frontage and cluttered streets combined with a fast-pasted real estate sector call for flexible, cheap and prominent signage on Shibuya streets. This one combines laminated paper attached to a horizontal signpost and secured with wire and duct tape.

Materials: Laminated Paper, Wire, Duct Tape
Location: Shibuya, Tokyo

Laminated A2 signage with a backing of cardboard box displays six levels of information on the alley/service gate to the main building. Another layer of MS Office default text added to the already cramped Shibuya street.

The (off center) cut-out for the door handle maintains the practical use of the gate while rendering the QR code unreadable.

Materials: Cardboard Box, Laminated Paper
Location: Shibuya, Tokyo

This sign in Shibuya station illustrates how station employees have ‘fixed’ ticket gate signage at the request of users.

In this case, existing signage left passengers unclear as to whether the station could be exited from the ticket gate. This was fixed by installing two signs pointing to well known exits/meeting spots.

Materials: Laminated Paper
Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Street map in Shibuya annotated with print labels.

Materials: Print Labels
Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Impromptu and hard to miss lost and found repository.

Materials: Post
Location: Akishima-shi, Tokyo

Train timetable on small izakaya wall helps patrons get home in timely fashion, saving them taxi fare and saving the bar staff from having to deal with stragglers.

Materials: Paper
Location: Akishima-shi, Tokyo

Sign stabilized against wind with water filled PET bottle.

Materials: PET Bottle
Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo

Cigarette marketing in a DIY/guerilla style outside a convenience store.

Materials: Paper
Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo

Signage requesting low volume usage of radio/CD players in the park.

Materials: Laminated A3
Location: Akabanebashi, Tokyo

Signage in subway station warning of purse-snatchers.

Materials: Duct Tape, Laminated A4
Location: Akabanebashi, Tokyo

Community saftey signage in subway station – watch out for purse snatchers, “Ore Ore” sagi, and break-ins.

Materials: Duct Tape, Laminated A4
Location: Akabanebashi, Tokyo

Traffic coat modified with laminated poster as a barrier to entry and informative sign.


Material: Traffic Cone, Laminated Paper
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Makeshift station signage constructed from a plastic plate and wire. Attached to existing signpost.



Material: Plastic Plate, Wire
Location: Ome, Tokyo

Direction sign for Tokyo Tower at Akabanebashi Subway Station. Constructed of tourist brochure cut-outs and classic Tokyo public trasport duct tape lettering.

Materials: Duct Tape, Tourist Brochure
Location: Akabanebashi, Tokyo